[2023] F-111A Aardvark: The Ultimate Bomber!

An incredible jet strike-aircraft with the largest payload weight in the game arrives in War Thunder as part of the “Kings of Battle” major update!

F-111A Aardvark: A Strike Aircraft for the US at Rank VII
Features:

• Enormous payload!
  
• High speed!
  
• Radar.
  
• Guided missiles.
  
• Flares.
  
• Variable-sweep wing.

Meet the F-111A Aardvark!
The F-111A Aardvark is an American bomber that will become the new king of bombing in War Thunder when the “Kings of Battle” major update is released. This fantastic aircraft features an excellent top speed, large caliber countermeasures, a radar and RWR, missiles, a ballistic computer and most importantly a HUGE payload of bombs and rockets. Let’s dive into the details!

Interesting: The F-111A earned the unofficial nickname of “Aardvark” due to the shape of its nose, which is shaped similarly to the aardvark animal’s nose.

To start off, the F-111A was not an attack aircraft from the outset. Originally, it was intended to serve as a nuclear-armed supersonic strategic bomber, but combat in Vietnam forced U.S. Army officials to reconsider the Aardvark’s role on the battlefield. Therefore, the Aardvark was equipped with avionics for the use of guided weapons, which complement the already vast electronic equipment that this aircraft has. In addition to traditional unguided weapons, the Aardvark can also use AGM-12B Bullpup air-to-ground missiles and AIM-9B air-to-air missiles!




However, the role of a high precision bomber is still not the main speciality of the F-111A — this aircraft will provide you with the most heavy-duty bomb carrier in the game. The Aardvark can carry 26 x 750 lb and 50 x 500 lb bombs, as well as Snakeye bombs into battle! The amazing thing is that if you equip all weapon hardpoints with Mighty Mouse rockets, the total number of rockets that can be carried is 456. This is record breaking in War Thunder!

Did you know? Some of the F-111A’s bomb pylons have a rotating mechanism to compensate for the variable sweep-wings at different speeds.

Surprisingly, with such a huge payload weight and with the weight of the aircraft itself, the Aardvark still has good flight characteristics. This is thanks to a pair of powerful turbofan engines with afterburning capability, plus its variable swept swing design allowing it to fly at supersonic speeds near to the ground. At altitude with a minimal load, the Aardvark can reach and exceed speeds of 2400 km/h (about 1490 mph)! It’s worth noting however that in its bomb carrier configuration and when all hardpoints are fully loaded up, the Aardvark’s swept swings cannot change by more than 28 degrees — as a result, you shouldn’t expect to be breaking speed records in this configuration.

Fun Fact: During the Vietnam War, F-111’s flew more than 4,000 combat missions, but only 6 aircraft were lost.

Such a large payload and good flight performance is complemented by advanced electronic protective systems. This includes a radar for detecting aerial targets, a RWR and countermeasure pods for large-caliber flares and chaff. In addition to this, the Aardvark does not have built-in forward firing guns — instead you’ll be able to equip a 20 mm Vulcan cannon in a special compartment in the bomb bay.

In your matches: Pro-tips when using the F-111A by Alexander, Aircraft Game Designer:
“A good aircraft suitable for almost any task. A full load of bombs limits its speed and wing sweep, so you’ll have to think what is more important, speed or the number of bombs/missiles. I wouldn't engage in a dogfight with it; it's better to cautiously stay on the sidelines and carry out a ground attack instead. However, if it does come down to a one on one, then you have a cannon and some air-to-air missiles to use — you can surprise the enemy by controlling the swept wings and dropping ordnance beforehand, as weight won’t be your ally in this scenario!”

Sounds exciting? The F-111A Aardvark will come to the game at Rank VII in the USA aviation research tree as part of the “Kings of Battle” major update! That’s all for now, continue to follow the news on our website for more dev blogs, and until then, enjoy your matches and see you soon!